TFS#140: Leg Lock Entry, Hamstrings, & Prioritizing Your Jiu Jitsu

A quick word from our sponsor (this one has a weird name):

Now, on to today’s topic…

Butterfly Guard is great, especially if you like to Leg Locks

A lot of sport Jiu Jitsu now is still trending on Leg Locks.

Leg Locks came up in popularity because it was a great way for new competitors to challenge the veterans.

…That’s why white belts love to spam Leg Locks on upper belts.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, because upper belts have to learn that game too.

But for a white belt, the real problem with that approach is that you’re not developing your Jiu Jitsu. Your’re not giving yourself the opportunity to understand the goal of the game.

That might be a write up for another day…

But for now, I’m assuming you checked out last week’s newsletter on Butterfly Sweeps.

Because now we’re building on entries to Single Leg X…and you know where this is going.

Inside scoop: Here’s a short system I’ve been working on with myself: Half-Guard → Butterfly Guard → SLX → Leg Locks.

Especially if you lift weights

You’ll want to make sure you’re taking care of your hamstrings.

Tight hamstrings will affect your lower back, your guard, and your hips.

A quick answer for Jiu Jitsu athletes.

More links that’ll improve your Jiu Jitsu

• You know I’ve been loving my Judo, so here’s the king of all throws. Simple, yet effective because it also setups you up for other attacks.

• What if you’re setting up into SLX and your opponent stays in combat stance? Here’s a great sweep.

• But what if they stand in SLX? Stick to them and reverse the position.

About that 3 year purple belt…

Did I train more than the average person? Yes. Did I spend time studying at home? Yes. Do I have a sports background? Yes, started sports since I was 5 years old and have been training martial arts for 13 years before starting Jiu Jitsu.

However…am I the fastest? No. Am I the strongest? Definitely not. Am I a freak athlete? No.

What really helped me was to understand the game of Jiu Jitsu.

So, what is my actual objective? It’s ultimately to submit my opponent, right? But to get there, I need to pin my opponent first, and the best way to do that is to get on top first.

And that’s how I prioritize my Jiu Jitsu exploration. Learn to take down, learn to pass, learn to pin, and then learn to submit. Then cycle through that as my system.

During my blue belt, I started exploring more open guards. Learn to pull guard, learn to sweep, learn to get back on top, and get back to passing. Or, if I can’t sweep in guard, then I’ll look for a submission, but if that’s not there then I switch back for a sweep.

This was a path to help me understand my goal and purpose for my movement.

Oh yeah, I also paid a lot of attention to good body mechanics. Learning to move properly so my body wasn’t compromised which helped me stay relatively healthy to consistently continue to train.

Again, the point isn’t to get your purple belt, but it’s to understand Jiu Jitsu.

If you any specific questions for me regarding how I got my purple belt in 3 years, feel free to write.

Until next week,

Wayne

There’s more to come.

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